The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-08

The following beautiful poem. which orig
inally appeared in the illustrated Netcs, pub
lshed in Richmond during the war by
rounds Of the papers Of the United States for
mon tbs past as an anonymous production.
1t was written by Capt. II. 7. StantonI of
the Confederate army, and 10 one Of the
most beautiful and touching poems In tho
English languaIe:
The iron voice from yorder spire has hush'd
its hollow tone,
And midnig ht finds ne lying here, in silence
and alone;
The still moon through my window sheds its
soft light on the floor
With melancholy paleness have never
seen before,
And the, summer wind comes to me, with its
sad, Kolian lay,
As If burthened with the sorrow Of a weary,
weary day;
Yet the moonlight cannot sooth me of the
sickness here within.
And the rad wind takes no portion from my
bosom's weight Of sin.
Yet my heart and all its pulses seem so
quietly to rost,
That / scarcely feel them beating in my
arms or in my breast;
And these rounded limbs are resting now so
still upon the bed,
That ore would think 10 see me here that
was lying dead.
What if 'twere 500 What if died-ded as
lam living now,
With ,omethipg like to virtues calm upon
this marble brown
What Il died tonight? All, how this sloth-
full heart begins 10 beat
A fallen wretch like me, TO pass from Garth
to tadly sweet.
Yet am 1 calm-as calm as clouds that
slowly float and form,
To awe their tearful strength to some un-
plying summer storm;
As calm as great Sahara, ere the simeon
sweeps its waste,
Or as the wide sea, ere the white waves all
its shores have laced.
Still, still / have no tears to .shed; these
eyelids have no store
The fountain once within me is fountain
now no more,
The moon alone wseps for me now, the pale
and thoughtful moon;
She wceps tor dsing Mary, through all the
nights sweet noon. rs
Whatf died tonight, within these gilded,
wretchsd walls, 50
Upon Whole crimson trappiugs noeye Of vir-
tue ever fallsi
What would it's soulless, inmates do when
they had found me tefe. N
With cheek too white for passions smile.
too cod for passions tear;
Oil one would come and from these arms
uno!asp the bauble bands;
Anothsrl wrench the jewels OF my fairer,
This splendid robe another's form would
grace, oh long before
The moonlight came again to sleep upon the
floor
And when they laid me down in earth where
pauper graves are m ade,
Beneath no bending willows angel haunted
shade,
Who'd come end plant a flower Ger poor
Mays friendless grave.
Or trim he tangled wild grass that no sum-
mer's wind could wave?
Who'd raise stone TO- mark it from the
ruder graves around,
That the passing strangers footsteps might
respect the spot of gr0undf
No stone would stand above memo little
waving tree;
No hano would plant flower Ger fallen
wretch like me.
What If l died topight2 And when tomor-
rows sun had crept
Where late the soft moon in virgin beauty
They'd come and find me here Oh! who
would weep to see me deadf
Who'd bond the knee Of sorrow by the pulse
less wAntOn's bedp
There's one would come my mother God
bless the angel band
That bore her, ere her daughter fell, to yOn-
der quiet land.
Thank God for all the anthems that the glad
dem d angels sung
When my mUthtr went to He ven, and
was pure and young.
Ard there's another, too, would come-a
man upon whose brow
My shame has wrought the winter snow to
rost so heavy now;
Yes, he would come, with manhood's tears
all burning down his check
Had reasons kingdom stronger been where
virtue Rrew so weak,
Ny sisters and my brothers all, thank God |
are far away,
They'll never know how died the one who
mingled in THAR Dlny--
They'll never know how wretchedly their
darling sister died.
The one who SIN led WIENER they smiled,
who cried WIENER they cried.
I'm all alone tonight How strange it is
that should be- alOnel
This splendid chamber seems to want some
rOue's wonted tone
Yon sOundless mirror, with its smooth and
all unvRrnithed face,
Sees not these jeweled arms tonight In their
1nchaste embrace,
Oh have. fed the fever of that heated +,
crowded hall,
Where might claim the richest and gRyest
Of them all
Whore l could smile upon them, with that
easy wanton grace,
Which subdues the blood of virtue that
would struggle In my face
But hate them all. 1 scorn them, as they
scorn me en- the street;
I could spurn away the pressure that my
lips so'oftoA meet;
could trample on the luore that their pas
sion peVer spares,
For they've robbed me Of a heritage Of
greater price than theirs
They can nsVer Givs me back again what l
have thrown away
The brightest Jewel woman wears through
out her little day;
The brightest and the only one, that from
the cluster riVen,
Shuts out forever woman's heart frsm all its
hopes of Heaven.
What if / died tOnisht? What If 1 died as
am lying hereN
There's many a green leaf withers ere the
autumn comes TO scar
There's many dewdrop shaken down ere
yet the sunshine came,
And many a spark hath diod before IL wa
kered into fame
What IL | died tonight, and left these wretch
ed bonds of clay,
or, better day. -,
What If my soul passed out and sought that
haven of the blest, -.
"WheTesthe wicked cease from troubling,
and the weary are at restf' 81
Would angels call me from above, and beck
on me to come
And join the n in their holy songs IN that
eternal homer
Would they asp their hands in gladness
when they saw my soul set Free
And point beside NY mother 10 place re-
served for mel
Would they meet me as a sister, as one Oi
precious worth,
Who had won a place in heaven by her Holt
mess on earth2
Oh God, would not have my soul 80 out
upon the air
With all its weight Of WretchednessStowa wan
der whereof oh whsreY